The Navy has reassigned a former commander of the Blue Angels,
its acrobatic fighter squadron, and is investigating allegations that
the elite team of pilots was a hotbed of hazing, sexual harassment and
other forms of discrimination, documents show.
The Navy announced Friday
that it had relieved Capt. Gregory McWherter, a two-time commander of
the Blue Angels, of duty for alleged misconduct. At the time, the Navy
did not describe the nature of the accusations or provide other details
except to say that the case remained under investigation.

But an internal military document that a Navy official
inadvertently e-mailed to a Washington Post editor states that a former
member of the Blue Angels filed a complaint last month accusing
McWherter of promoting a hostile work environment and tolerating sexual
harassment. The complaint described an atmosphere rife with sexually
explicit speech, the open display of pornography and jokes about sexual
orientation.
The Navy officer is the latest in a string of senior
military commanders to come under investigation for sexual misconduct or
other misbehavior. Congress and the White House have grown especially
frustrated at the Pentagon’s struggles to police sex crimes and
harassment in the ranks.
The Navy appeared to move swiftly after
the former Blue Angels member filed the complaint March 24 with the Navy
inspector general. The complaint alleged that McWherter encouraged or
allowed sexual harassment and lewd activity to occur when he commanded
the Blue Angels during two stints between 2008 and 2012.
McWherter
did not respond to e-mails seeking comment. The Navy confirmed the circumstances that led
to the probe. The Navy also released a statement from Vice Adm. David
H. Buss, the commander of Naval Air Forces, who said, “We remain fully
committed to accountability, transparency, and protecting the integrity
of ongoing investigations.”
According to McWherter’s biography,
which the Navy has removed from a public Web site, he is an alumnus of
the Citadel and graduated from the Navy’s famous “Top Gun” fighter pilot
school in 1995.The Blue Angels are a flight demonstration team
that performs daring maneuvers at air shows and before large crowds at
other public events. It is a major honor for pilots selected to join;
the Navy treats the squadron as a valuable recruitment tool and a vivid
symbol of its aviation firepower.
The commander of the unit is chosen by a panel of admirals and serves as the Blue Angels’ lead pilot.
Although
the investigation has not been completed, Navy officials decided that
the preliminary findings warranted taking action. McWherter was fired
from his new job as executive officer of Naval Base Coronado near San
Diego. He has been temporarily reassigned to other duties.
Summaries
of the complaint and investigation are contained in a five-page
internal document, labeled “official use only,” that was drafted by Navy
public affairs officers in anticipation of media coverage.
The
document included talking points and prepared quotes attributed to Navy
admirals, expressing concern about the gravity of the case. The material
was being assembled in the event that further details of the
investigation became public.
McWherter was a commander highly
regarded by many in the Navy. He was brought back to lead the Blue
Angels for a second stint in 2011 after the unit was temporarily
grounded that year for performing a dangerous barrel roll too close to
the ground during a show in Lynchburg, Va.
Upon leaving the team in November 2012, he told the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal that he had no regrets.
“If being with the Blue Angels was the last time I fly a Navy plane, that’s a pretty good way to go out,” he said.
In
the face of several ethics scandals over the past 18 months, the
Pentagon has repeatedly pledged to hold commanders accountable for their
actions. At the same time, however, the military has tried to suppress
details about many embarrassing episodes.
For example, the Army
announced in June, without elaboration, that it had suspended its top
general in Japan for allegedly mishandling a sexual assault case. On
Tuesday, after obtaining a copy of the investigative report under the Freedom of Information Act, The Post disclosed that the general was given a plum job at the Pentagon even though he had violated regulations by failing to refer the sexual assault complaint to criminal investigators.
In January, after obtaining another batch of investigative documents, it was reported that the Pentagon had disciplined three other generals for personal misconduct.
One
was found guilty of assaulting his mistress. A second joked in e-mails
that he sexually gratified himself after meeting a member of Congress
whom he described as “smoking hot.” The third kept a bottle of vodka in
his desk and was investigated for having an affair, according to the
documents.
At the same time, it appears that some military leaders
have become highly sensitive to the issue and are quick to launch
investigations at any hint of sexual impropriety or ethical misbehavior
in the ranks.
In February, the Army announced it had suspended a
brigade commander at Fort Carson, Colo., and in a highly unusual move,
would not allow him to deploy with his soldiers to Afghanistan. Again,
Army officials did not divulge what had prompted the decision.
A
copy of the investigative report in that case, however, shows that the
commander was suspended after three female soldiers alleged that he had
made insensitive comments during a meeting to discuss sexual assault
policies.
The commander, Col. Brian Pearl, was later cleared of wrongdoing and allowed to join his troops in Afghanistan. A copy of the investigative report was first obtained and published Tuesday by the Gazette newspaper of Colorado Springs.

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